After ending 42-year playoff drought, Paschal girls basketball on verge of district title
For nearly 42 years, Fort Worth Paschal girl’s basketball endured one of the longest playoff droughts in Texas history.
After Paschal High School moved from Class 6A to 5A in the 2024 UIL realignment cycle, head coach Shannon Brown knew her team had an opportunity to snap the streak. Still, the Panthers needed to produce results, which is easier said than done.
In non-district play, Paschal struggled, losing eight of nine games from mid-November to early December. Brown wasn’t sure if breaking the streak was a possibility. To start district play, however, Paschal caught fire and continued to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since the 1983 season.
“We just slowly got it together,” Brown said. “I had to have some patience and let it come along this year. But I knew we had the opportunity, and I’m glad we took it.”
Paschal (15-12, 9-1) is currently the kingpin of District 7-5A with a 9-1 record and is on the verge of winning a district championship for the first time in program history. Fort Worth Arlington Heights (9-14, 7-2) is also in the running; the Panthers control their destiny and will win a district title outright with wins over North Side (4-22, 3-6) and Polytechnic (7-14, 4-4).
Paschal will face Polytechnic at 7:30 on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at the Gus Bates Center at Paschal High School.
“[A district title] would mean everything to them,” Brown said. “They’d be history makers, and it would mean everything to Paschal.”
The move to 5A put Paschal in a position to succeed, and the veterans capitalized on the opportunity. According to Brown, maturity and an ability to “trust the process” have been essential to the Panthers’ progress.
Brown, who has 30 years of coaching experience, is in her third year coaching Paschal, and the underclassmen she first worked with are now experienced varsity athletes. When she took over, she emphasized skills, fundamentals, shooting and basketball strategy.
“They were hungry for it, and they really embraced the things that I taught them,” Brown said. “They were hungry for the information, and they’ve taken it and run with it.”
The seniors on the squad have patiently endured losing seasons and have waited for a chance to shine. In Paschal’s last two seasons in 6A, the upperclassmen had a goal: Win one district game.
For the longest time, the Panthers were forced to set a low bar among some of the fiercest competition in Texas. Since 2006, Paschal has tallied a 26-204 (.113%) total district play record, according to Max Preps.
During that span, the Panthers failed to win more than four district games in a season, missing the playoffs by a wide margin.
But in the 2024-2025 season, Paschal has manufactured a drastic season-to-season turnaround. After a 1-13 district record in the 2024 season, those seniors who strived to win one game are leading a district championship favorite.
One of those seniors is Annie Parsons, a 5-foot-5 guard who is relentless, according to Brown, even with opposing defenses utilizing box and one against her.
Parsons is a focal point of the Panther offense with an ability to control the tempo of a game.
“You can’t keep up with her because she does not get tired,” Brown said. “Also, she plays varsity soccer, and so she goes to soccer practice and basketball practice. You can’t wear her out. People can’t keep up with her, and she’ll never quit. She forces everybody on this team to move.”
Another key senior is forward Amelia Robbins, who has a 5-foot-11 frame and has a “sixth sense for basketball,” according to Brown.
“I think she is our glue,” Brown said. “When things get high emotionally, she helps calm us down. She was injured for the whole first round of district, and we really missed her presence on the court. It has made a huge difference to get her back.”
Senior Addison Hinckley also makes an impact, providing size and elite athleticism with a 6-foot-1 frame. She has had a breakout season; Hinckley can stretch the floor and rebound among the best.
Players that round out the squad include junior Victoria Hultgren, a forward who brings physicality and determination, and also junior Adele Stults. With an elite IQ and passing ability, Stults has developed great chemistry with the team and especially Hultgren.
Next season, Hultgren and Stults will step into prominent roles.
“We’ve got a lot of youth, and they’re talented,” Brown said. “And they could be really good, so I’m excited for our future, too.”
On Friday, Paschal continued its success with an emphatic 42-21 victory over O.D. Wyatt at Wyatt High School. The Panthers led 18-14 at the half and pulled away in the third quarter.
“We were able to relax a little bit more on offense and not feel pressure to force things to happen,” Brown said. “We let the game come to us.”
Paschal, despite breaking a 42-year drought, does not have a Cinderella story this season. In District 7-5A, the Panthers aren’t an underdog but a proven powerhouse. Paschal has outscored its opponents by a whopping 383 points in district play.
The Panthers may be laughing and giggling on the sideline while dominating the competition, but Brown said that is not a reflection of their focus levels. According to the team, chemistry and camaraderie are what make the 2024-2025 squad special.
“Everyone on the team is my best friend,” Parsons said. “We hang out all the time. We just have the best chemistry. I’m super excited to see what we’re going to do.”
Robbins emphasized that the team’s off-court bond is just as important as anything they do on the court.
“It’s the bond that we have,” Robbins said. “It doesn’t matter what is going on — if we face ups and downs. We stick together as a team, and that shows on the court. It is the determination we’ve had as a team. Being in 6A, we’ve had a lot of struggles in the past few years. We put in a lot of work and saw it pay off.”
The Panthers’ move to 5A has also led to school-wide athletic success. Before the girl’s basketball program made its mark, Paschal football broke a 28-year high school football playoff drought. The Panthers were close to a district title, losing two games by one possession.
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